Althouse
9/1/2011
…Obama directed several federal agencies to identify “high-impact, job-creating infrastructure projects” that can be expedited now, without congressional approval…
…The message to Congress is clear: Do your work or we’ll do it for you….
“Do your work or we’ll do it for you….” Is that the tone Obama actually wants to take?
Read the whole thing at Althouse.com
Related: “Decline by Design”. The Chicago Boyz believe Obama’s “just not that into us.”
Also at Althouse, “If this was an attempt to make Republicans look unreasonable, then, in almost every conceivable way, it failed spectacularly.”
…It occurs to me that Obama may want to divert attention from the [9/8/11] speech’s content. What do you think the content is? For a month, he’s been saying the big speech is coming — he’s got a plan to restore jobs. If he really had an answer to the chronic problem, why didn’t he reveal it right away? He’s been working on something that would sound like he’s got an answer, and, in all likelihood, he knew it wouldn’t go through Congress, so the point was simply to be able to say: It’s Congress’s fault. I had a plan, but they wouldn’t pass it. But he couldn’t say that unless he really had a plan that would impress people. My guess is: He didn’t even have that. That’s why he reverted to the theatrics, lame as they were…
Update: Obama wants road funding to create jobs, at the Washington Examiner.
…Obama is portraying Congress as the primary barrier to job growth, claiming lawmakers are more concerned with derailing his re-election than returning Americans to work, said Brian Darling, a senior fellow in government studies at the Heritage Foundation.
“Pretty clearly, the president’s campaign strategy is to run against Congress — to pick on the set of guys that are doing even worse than him in the eyes of the American public,” Darling said, referring to Congress’ 12 percent approval rating.
“Specifically, [Obama] is thinking maybe he can win re-election by making people believe that the Tea Party is in control of Washington,” he added.
The strategy may appease some of Obama’s liberal supporters, many of whom have berated him for giving in to congressional Republicans on taxes and budget cuts. But it’s highly unlikely to prod Congress into action.
“There’s no way Congress is going to pass another Obama stimulus plan,” Darling said. “It just isn’t going to happen.”…
CAJ note: Don’t the phrases “shovel-ready” and “construction unions” seem to be missing from that headline…?
Update 2: Boehner reminds Obama of GOP agenda for job creation
